Judge Orders All Documents Unsealed in Garlock Bankruptcy

National Law Journal reports that a federal judge has ruled on Thursday that "all of the evidence that led him to find misrepresentations by plaintiffs" in the Garlock Sealing Technologies asbestos-related bankruptcy case must be unsealed.

"Today was a great day for those who care about the First Amendment and the principle that public courts should be kept open to the public," said Steve Pflaum of Neal Gerber & Eisenberg LLP, according to Law360. Pflaum represents Legal Newsline, which "had fought for the unsealing of the estimation trial, which took place last year over the course of two weeks."

Legal Newsline reports that Hodges agreed with the newspaper's arguments "that there is a First Amendment right of access as well as a common law right of access."